Appropriations and CDS Request Page

 

The deadline for FY26 requests will be open from January 2, 2025 to February 14, 2025. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to accept Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) and programmatic requests for FY 2026 appropriations bills.  Senator Murkowski will once again consider CDS project proposals from eligible recipients. 

The CDS and programmatic appropriations portals will open on Monday, January 2, 2025 until February 14, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The FY 2026 appropriations process includes opportunities to fund local projects through Congressionally Directed Spending, a reformed process which was resumed in FY22 which allows Alaskans to identify and receive federal assistance for needs in the state. It helps restore Congress’ Constitutional power of the purse, accounts for no more than one percent of federal discretionary spending, and does not increase overall spending levels. Without this process, many of the dollars now headed for Alaska would go to other states based on decisions made by federal departments and agencies. Submitted proposals will be considered by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on a bipartisan basis, with well-established criteria, accept requests for targeted projects across the U.S.

The annual appropriations process is lengthy, with uncertain timing, and there is no guarantee that Congressionally Directed Spending requests will ultimately be included in the FY 2026 spending bills. Due to nuanced eligibility criteria and limited available funds, many requests will not move forward, and not all projects chosen to advance will ultimately receive funding.

Please refer to FY 2025 guidance to determine project proposal eligibility. This guidance is based on a previous Fiscal Year and FY 2026 will be posted as soon as it is received from the Appropriations Committee.  Please monitor this website for updates.

A few points to keep in mind:

• Submission of an application does not guarantee that funding will be appropriated.
• You must read the latest appropriations guidance to determine eligibility before project submission.

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to Senator Murkowski’s staff early regarding requests. 
• You must include a detailed and updated budget for the proposed project.
• Some Appropriations Subcommittees require a cost-match. If your project falls within one of these accounts, you must be able to meet the cost-match.  Cost-match can range from 25% - 75%.
• Keys to a strong proposal are (but not limited to):
• The flexibility in budget and timeline.  Does the project have other funding sources?  Does the project have a phased timeline? Can the project be scaled based on available funding? Provide as much information on the project’s flexibility when submitting a CDS application. Please update Senator Murkowski’s staff if anything changes.
• The ability to clearly communicate how the project will execute the mission of the program account it is being requested under.  Appropriations Committee staff follow the federal program requirements to determine eligibility for projects.  Please refer to the latest guidance, FY 2025 Appropriations Guidance (LINK).
• Recipients are expected to have an updated SAM.gov account. 
• CDS proposals should be viewed as one-year funding that will either create a new program/activity or expand an existing program/activity.  CDS should not be viewed as a way to sustain a program/activity over multiple years.
• Once a request is submitted, it will go through an internal review process to ensure the project is eligible for funding and has a substantial benefit to the community.  Senator Murkowski’s staff will be in touch with the point of contact for recipient organizations to discuss the request, ask additional questions, receive clarity on submitted proposals, etc. 

Submitting a CDS Request

To submit a CDS request, applicants should follow these steps:

1. Contact Dana Herndon dana_herndon@murkowski.senate.gov to discuss the project.
2. Determine project eligibility
• CDS funding is made available through a limited number of accounts within certain federal agencies.  Each account does not have the same recipient eligibility requirements, matching fund requirements, eligible activities, etc. The Appropriations Guidance provides information on eligible accounts and the descriptions and requirements for each to determine if a project is eligible.  Once you identify an account for a project, carefully review its eligibility requirements. 
3. Assemble application materials
• For each request, applicants will be asked to provide:
• a Point of Contact who can respond quickly to inquiries about the project throughout the life of the request
• the recipient organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• details about FY25 or previous CDS requests made to Senator Murkowski
• a project purpose that is 250-words or less
• a concise explanation of why the project is a good use of federal funds and how it will benefit Alaska
• an itemized budget of the full project, specifying phases/scalability
• other funding sources, if any
• Up to 5 letters of support
4. Submit request via the webform before the deadline.